Category: USSR

Only two countries medaled in the women’s event finals: the Soviet Union and East Germany. Sovetsky Sport concluded that “the Soviet and German sportswomen now fully dominate in women’s gymnastics and determine the course of its development.”

Given the newspaper’s emphasis on the friendliness between the gymnasts of both countries, it had to tread lightly when discussing the uneven bars final. Without saying that Olga Korbut should have won the title, it implied as much. But it was quick to point out that the fault was with the FIG and the judges.

Here’s what Sovetsky Sport wrote about the 1972 event finals.

For the Soviet team, the 1972 all-around final was a whirlwind. There were six Soviet gymnasts in the final and only one Soviet coach on the floor. Polina Astakhova had to run from apparatus to apparatus to spot, adjust equipment, encourage, and comfort.

Sovetsky Sport captured the excitement of the competition by giving a rotation-by-rotation analysis. In the end, the newspaper of record praised the friendship between the Soviet and East German gymnasts: “They were sitting side by side — the gymnasts from the USSR and the GDR. It was their evening, their celebration.”

In 1972, the Soviet Union won its sixth-straight team title, and Sovetsky Sport, the main sports newspaper of the Soviet Union, printed over 1,000 words about the competition. The article highlighted the star power of Korbut and Tourischeva, the gentle guidance of coach (and former Soviet star) Polina Grigoryevna Astakhova, and the team’s ability to rally after Antonina Koshel’s mistakes on floor and bars.

Here’s how the 1972 women’s optional competition was covered in the Soviet press.